80 Pct of Residents in Rain-Hit Areas in Japan Believe Their Houses Safe

August 7, 2018

Hiroshima- About 80 pct of residents of western Japan did not evacuate when evacuation advisories were issued late last month for Typhoon Jongdari because they believed their houses were safe, a recent survey found.

The online survey, conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, covered adults in the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama and Ehime, which were hardest hit by downpours early last month. Some 9,400 gave valid responses.

The downpours have claimed 219 lives in wide areas in western Japan. Jongdari, the 12th typhoon this year, passed through the Chugoku western region, including Okayama and Hiroshima, on July 29.

The survey found that 58.8 pct of respondents in Hiroshima were more aware of the need to evacuate for the typhoon than for the downpours. The percentage was at 51.5 pct in Okayama and 48.9 pct in Ehime.

Asked why they did not evacuate, 80.2 pct of respondents in the three prefectures said they believed their houses were safe. The survey also showed that 76.7 pct did not feel an urgent need to evacuate and that 70.4 pct said their neighbors did not evacuate.

The Hiroshima prefectural government repeatedly called for evacuation while it was still light on July 28 in order to prevent Jongdari from causing secondary disasters in areas hit by the preceding downpours. About 60 pct of respondents in Hiroshima were aware of the calls, according to the survey.

Evacuation advisories were issued for some 1.52 million people in Hiroshima, but only some 6,000 took shelter, according to the prefectural government's headquarters for disaster control.

"It's necessary to improve ways of providing information to raise awareness about evacuation further," said Katsue Edo, professor at Prefectural University of Hiroshima, who led the survey.

"Reporting anticipated rainfall amounts clearly, offering information about evacuation for areas divided into smaller regions and taking other steps is necessary," Edo said. Jiji Press